Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) was questioned by a reporter about the homeless sleeping at Chicago’ O’Hare International Airport and found herself in the hot seat when the journalist cornered her on coverage of the situation by Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
The leftist mayor is asserting that the city will no longer allow homeless people to sleep at the airport.
During a news conference that took place on Wednesday, Lightfoot was asked about the Carlson segment on homelessness at Chicago airports, replete with pictures. He interviewed Democratic Alderman Raymond Lopez, who is a staunch Lightfoot critic.
“Last night, Tucker Carlson, Fox News, and the Daily Mail featured the homelessness, the encampments that are growing at O’Hare Airport in all the baggage claims… 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Anywhere from 200 to 300 people a night are sleeping there even when the weather is not inclement. Pictures like this… people don’t know if they are stepping over bodies or people sleeping on the floors. What are you doing about it?” Chicago radio host and reporter Amy Jacobson asked Lightfoot.
#BREAKING: Reporter asks Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to respond to Fox News' Tucker Carlson's reports about homeless encampments at O'Hare Airport.
Lightfoot: "Let's start with consider the source."
Reporter: "Do you want to see the pictures?" pic.twitter.com/aQO9oso5ho
— Forbes (@Forbes) February 16, 2023
“Well, let’s start with consider the source. Which is Tucker… no, no! I think that’s fair,” the mayor responded.
“Do you want to see the pictures?” Jacobson responded.
“I’ve seen it but let’s consider the source which is starting with Tucker Carlson and Fox News. They’re never gonna portray our city in a favorable light. My understanding is those pictures are quite old. But the fact of the matter is we have taken and will continue to take the steps that are necessary to move people out of the airports. The airports are a very different place than on the street, under an underpass. It’s a secure location, and the message is clear from me to the Department of Aviation, the Police Department up there.”
“We absolutely fundamentally cannot have people sleeping in our airports who are homeless. That is unacceptable. We are going to continue, within the bounds of the law, to do what is necessary to provide those folks with support but elsewhere. They can’t be in our airports,” the mayor proclaimed.
ChiTown Conservative tweeted, “#OHareAirport should not be a de facto psych ward. Many of the 200+ homeless people living in the baggage claim areas at ORD need to be moved to mental health facilities where they can be cared for & treated by professionals. Reopen the mental health institutions & psych wards.”
“Last night I ran into Wheelchair Amy. She is one of 200 homeless/mentally ill individuals taking residence at @fly2ohare nightly. She sits on a urine-soaked wheelchair & is known to bite if you try to move her. @chicagosmayor continues to ignore her & others greeting visitors,” Lopez tweeted pointing out that Lightfoot is doing an abysmal job of handling the situation.
#OHareAirport should not be a de facto psych ward. Many of the 200+ homeless people living in the baggage claim areas at ORD need to be moved to mental health facilities where they can be cared for & treated by professionals. Reopen the mental health institutions & psych wards. https://t.co/TFEsnTEfKy
— ChiTown Conservative (@gingertealkp) February 16, 2023
AmericanTyranny tweeted, “WELCOME TO CHICAGO, THE ‘SECOND CITY’… of Liberal filth, decay, rot. Chicago O’Hare’s baggage claims, arrivals, departures & ticketing areas.”
WELCOME TO CHICAGO, THE "SECOND CITY"… of Liberal filth, decay, rot.
Chicago O'Hare's baggage claims, arrivals, departures & ticketing areas. pic.twitter.com/ZmcBDTTWcP
— AmericanTyranny (@NONbiasedly) February 16, 2023
On Tucker Carlson’s show Wednesday, Lopez highlighted the tragic situation.
“We’ve seen this beautiful gateway to Chicago been overrun by the homeless where every night 200 to 300 homeless individuals come off public transportation and set up encampments here, baggage claim and throughout all five terminals,” Lopez told Carlson.
“They’re not just urinating in the hallways, they’re taking baths in the toilets, they’re making a mockery of what Chicago is here,” he added. “We understand homelessness is a problem we must address, but making O’Hare airport a homeless shelter for hundreds of people on a daily basis, when we’re trying to welcome people here, when we’re trying to encourage tourism, trying to bring back the business clientele, bring back families to our city, and to only have them greeted by hundreds of homeless, with mental health issues, maybe armed, maybe might not even be clothed, that doesn’t institute confidence in our mayor in our city.”
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